S6 HYPERICINEiE. 



low compact growth and showy flowers, fit to associate with 

 herbaceous perennials, and are besides by their nature adapted 

 to ornament woods, banks, and rocky places, in shade or 

 sunshine, in any soil and every situation, there is no reason 

 why we should not draw in our selection on them, while we 

 select also the best of the herbaceous ones. Notwithstanding 

 the large number of species comprised in the family, and the 

 very generally beautiful and showy character of the flowers, 

 only one or two of the St John's-worts are to be met with fre- 

 quently in private places ; and although they are more numer- 

 ous about botanic gardens, it might be expected to see so fine 

 and useful a genus more largely represented everywhere. The 

 herbaceous species are propagated by seed and division in 

 spring, the shrubby ones by both means and by cuttings in 

 August or September, put thickly in rows in a well -dug 

 border. 



Hypericum AndrosaBmum( 7}//j'<7;z Sijohii's-worf). — This plant 

 has a strong woody or shrubby base, but with annual or herba- 

 ceous flower-stems. These rise erect about 2 feet high in culti- 

 vation, generally branching somewhat. The leaves are bluntly 

 egg-shaped and stalkless. The flowers are in terminal corymbs, 

 clear yellow, and appear in June, lasting till late autumn. The 

 plant is most useful for introducing into open woods and rough 

 places elsewhere in any kind of soil. It is indigenous, but 

 confined to western Britain and the south of England and 

 Ireland. 



H. calycinum {Large-flowered St John' s-wort). — This species is 

 also popularly named Rose of Sharon and Aarofi's Beai'd, from 

 the dense bundles and hair-like appearance of the filaments 

 within the corolla. It is perhaps the handsomest species of 

 the family. It grows a foot or 18 inches high, with numerous 

 apparently simple stems, which, however, branch freely at the 

 base, and are clothed with large oblong almost stalkless leaves, 

 shining dark green. Tl)e flowers appear at the extremities of 

 the stems, one or two together in weak plants ; but in tolerably 

 good soil the plant acquires more vigour, and the flowers in- 

 crease proportionally both in size and numbers, reaching the 

 great size of 3 or 4 inches across. They appear early in 

 summer and last till late autumn. The plant is admirably 

 adapted for forming margins to beds and borders of shrubs. 

 It extends rapidly, and as it thrives and blooms almost as well 

 in shade as in sunshine, it is fitted also for carpeting or cover- 

 ing under trees and in open woods ; and on bald banks and 

 rocks, where a little soil can be placed for it, it may be planted 

 with every assurance of success. It is a naturalised plant in 



